seats Acura TL 2004 Owner's Manual

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This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains how your
airbags work. And it tells you how to
properly restrain infants and
children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 11
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11
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3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 12
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 13
5. Fasten and Position the ...
Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts . 14
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 16
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .16 .....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 17
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .19
..
Seat Belt System Components . 19
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .19
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .20
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 21
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .22
......
Airbag System Components . 22
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .23
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 25
How Your Side Curtain Airbags .........................................
Work .26
..
How the SRS Indicator Works . 26
How The Side Airbag Cutof f ......................
Indicator Works .27
.............................
Airbag Service .28
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 28
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .29
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .29 All Children Should Sit in the
.................................
Back Seat .30
The Passenger’s Front Airbag ................
Poses Serious Risks . 30
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .32
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .32
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 33
...........................
Protecting Inf ants .34
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Protecting Small Children . 35
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Selecting a Child Seat .36
....................
Installing a Child Seat .37
Installing a Child Seat Using .....................................
LATCH .38
Installing a Child Seat with a ..................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 40
Installing a Child Seat with a ......................................
Tether .41
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Protecting Larger Children . 42
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Checking Seat Belt Fit . 43
..................
Using a Booster Seat . 43
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 45
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 46
...................................
Saf ety Labels .47
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
Some saf ety f eatures do not require
anyactiononyourpart.These
include a strong steel f ramework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; f ront and
rear crush zones, a collapsible
steering column, and seat belt
tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in the event of a crash.
CONT INUED
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety7
(1)(4)
(3)
(7)
(2)
(6)
(7)
(5)
(2)
(8) (10)
(9)
(9)
(8)
(11)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Door Locks
(11) Seat Belt Tensioners

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to ride in
the front seat.
See page f or important guidelines
on how to properly protect inf ants,
small children, and larger children
who ride in your vehicle.Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard. Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain control of the vehicle. Have
your f ront passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
29
82
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors 2.
1.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety11

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure it
is locked into position. See pagef or how to adjust the f ront seats. Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
88
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety12
Sitting too close to an airbag
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
airbags as possible while
allowing full control of the
vehicle.

If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your Acura dealer check the
belt as soon as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace. This
provides optimal protection f rom the
f ront airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
19
78
Protecting A dults and Teens
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16

If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, the sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag.To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
The passenger’s side airbag has a
cutof f system designed to turn of f
the passenger’s side airbag if a child’s
head is in the airbag’s deployment
path (see page ).
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.If a short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the side airbag
deployment path, the system may
also shut off the side airbag.
If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on, have the passenger sit upright.
Once the passenger is out of the
deployment path of the side airbag,
the system will turn the airbag back
on, and the indicator will go out.
Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger. 27
How Your Side A irbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
25

In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid deceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtain
airbag on the driver’s or the
passenger’s side of the vehicle. If the
impact is on the passenger’s side, the
passenger’s side curtain airbag will
inflate even if there are no occupants
on that side of the vehicle.
To get the best protection f rom the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbags or seat belt
tensioners.
When you turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), this indicator will come on
brief ly then go out. This tells you
that the system is working properly.
If the indicator comes on at any
other time, or does not come on at all,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example:
If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition to
ON (II).
If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.
Your vehicle is equipped with side
curtain airbags. These airbags are
stored in the f ront, center, and rear
pillars on both sides. The f ront and
rear pillars on both sides are marked
‘‘SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.’’
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Side Curtain A irbags
Work
How the SRS Indicator Works
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG

Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.
An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. In this vehicle, a rear-f acing child
seatcanbeplacedinanyseating
position in the back seat, but not in
the front.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired position.
If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
f orce to kill or seriously injure an
inf ant.
In either of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat in a dif f erent back
seating position or get a smaller rear-
f acing child seat.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position. Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety34
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.

A child who is at least one year old,
and who fits within the child seat
maker’s weight and height limits,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the f ront.
If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to cause very
serious or f atal injuries. If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype
Child Seat Placement
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety35
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.

When buying a child seat, you need
to choose between a conventional
child seat, or one designed f or use
with the Lower Anchors and Tethers
f or Children (LATCH) system.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a car with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the two outer
rear seats.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
We also recommend selecting a
LATCH-compatible seat with a rigid,
rather than a f lexible, anchor (see
page ).In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children. Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position, or positions,
where the seat will be used.
39
Selecting a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et ySt andard 213.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
T he child seat should f it thevehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
1.
2.3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety36